Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Fine Gael must reflect community will and underground the North-South electricity interconnector - Peadar Tóibín TD

Sinn Fein TD for Meath West, Peadar Tóibín has expressed his concerns with the Irish Government, after a decision by the Department of Infrastructure in the north of Ireland to grant planning approval for the northern part of the North-South electricity interconnector.

Deputy Tóibín said:

“There is a deep frustration in Meath that the Irish government have strategically sat on their hands throughout this process.

"The technology that is there to underground this interconnector is becoming increasingly economically viable and the Irish Government must ensure that the project is undergrounded.

“This is a critical piece of all-Ireland infrastructure that needs to be built without delay and the best way to achieve this is by undergrounding it.

“It is vitally important that the views and needs of residents in the surrounding areas are fully taken into account at all points in this project.

“The government is sleep walking into an enormous crisis on the ground in Meath, Monaghan, Cavan, Armagh and Tyrone. 95% of the land owners have stated that they will not allow EirGrid onto their land to build this.

“I will seek to raise a debate on this issue in the Dáil at the soonest possible occasion.”